Mother's Day is a magic day for plant people. Those of us in the business look towards Mother's Day with anticipation. The cold weather has usually passed us by now, flowers are blooming everywhere, and our mom's are ready to get in the garden with new plants. It's a perfect storm when everything comes together to create our busiest time of the year.
The state of Florida has been shipping gorgeous hibiscus, gardenias and mandevillas all month to garden centers in the north.
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| Hibiscus |
This year has been a bit challenging, as colder weather last week meant all those tropical plants had to spend a couple of nights under a light cover of fabric.
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| New Guinea Impatiens baskets are almost ready! |
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| Calibrachoa is a favorite for sun |
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| They'll be spilling over by Sunday |
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| Coco baskets are customer favorites |
Gorgeous hanging baskets have been loaded up on lines in our greenhouse, moving just 12 miles east of where they were planted at Valley View Farms' growing range of greenhouses. We're lucky that we have fans installed in our outside shadehouses that we can turn on at night to "stir-up" the air. I hope that's all behind us for the season, and we can look forward to Maryland's comfortable spring and warmer summer weather.
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| Aisle after aisle of beautiful color |
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| Begonias are made for the shade |
We've always been so focused at work this time of year, that many of our moms have had to take a raincheck for a true celebration. My mom passed 9 years ago, and I feel a twinge of guilt even now as I think back to so many Mothers' Days where I was late to the party.
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| My mom...Happy Mother's Day |
On the bright side, she could always count on receiving beautiful hanging baskets, a pink mandevilla, and assorted roses, annuals and perennials as most of my siblings stopped by to add plants to her garden.
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| Gerber daisies |
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| Begonias |
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| Orchids too! |
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| Yep, we grow these too! |
In her later years, we determined that we should plant the items too so she would not be overwhelmed with gardening work. She took so much pleasure in her yard and the pots she planted.
Many of our key staff members are moms. They do not hesitate to work on Mother's Day as they understand the importance of the weekend for the business. Thanks to all of you. We even have a few mother-daughter pairs that will work together on Sunday. Mom Valerie and daughter Colleen (other daughter' Grace will have the day off) will be at the checkout area while Dotty and Suzanne will be busy in the plant department.
Here's to all the moms out there. Happy Mother's Day!
